The invention relates to a process for selectively hydrogenating an olefinic hydrocarbon having more than one double bond per molecule. In another aspect, the invention relates to a process for reforming paraffin and cycloparaffin hydrocarbons to produce olefinic hydrocarbons having more than one double bond per molecule and selectively hydrogenating the olefinic hydrocarbons produced by said reforming process. In another aspect the invention relates to a process for the production of high octane gasoline from a feedback comprising paraffins and cycloparaffins.
In the production of non-leaded high octane gasoline from a feedback comprising paraffins and cycloparaffins by steam active reforming and subsequent selective hydrogenation of the reformate to reduce the unsaturation thereof, previously known selective hydrogenation catalysts require a relatively dry feed. Thus, the steam must be removed from the reformate, which usually involves a cooling step to condense the steam to water, a separation step to remove the water from the reformate and a reheating step to reheat the reformate to the desired selective hydrogenation temperature. Therefore, if a selective hydrogenation catalyst could be found wherein the reformate could be hydrotreated in the presence of steam, a substantial savings in equipment and energy could be realized.
It is an object of the invention to selectively hydrogenate olefinic hydrocarbons having more than one double bond per molecule.
Another object of the invention is to selectively hydrogenate olefinic hydrocarbons having more than one double bond per molecule over a catalyst in the presence of steam.
Yet another object of the invention is to reform paraffins and cycloparaffins in the presence of steam and then selectively hydrogenate the olefinic hydrocarbons having more than one double bond per molecule to reduce the unsaturation thereof without the removal of steam.
Other objects, aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after studying the specification and attached claims.